Folding and tape applying machine



W. P. CLIFFORD.

FOLDING AND TAPE APPLYING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 2, I914- Patented Apr. 27,1920.

W/T/VES'S'ESI UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM P. CLIFFORD, OF BARNARD, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGN- MENTS, TO UNITED SHOE MACHINERY CORPORATION, OF PATERSON, NEW JER- SEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

FOLDING AND TAPEQAPPLYING MACHINE.

To an whom it. mag concern Be it known that I, WILLIAM P. Cmrrono, a citizen of the United States, residin at Barnard, in the county of Monroe and tate of New York, have invented certain Imrovements in Foldin and Tape-Applying achines, of which t e following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like reference characters on the drawings indicating like parts in the several figures.

This invention relates to machlnes for operating upon articles of pliable material which are designed to be used in the manu-.

be referred to as a pieceof tape and the ar-' ticle to whichit is applied as a button fly, but it should be understood that the nature of the stre n hening strip and the particular article to w ich it is applied are immaterial so far as the broader aspects of the invention are concerned.

It is customary to fold the margin of a button fly so as to produce a finished edge and to apply to the under side adjacent to the margin thereof a piece of tape or s1m1- I lar material for the purpose of strengthenin the edges of the buttonholes which are provided for directing the tape into the desired position.

It is sometimes desirable to lay the tape directly alongside the folded margin and at others to lay it spaced therefrom. Another feature of the invention comprises means for guiding the tape or other flexible rein- Speciflcation of Letters Patent.

forcing element, into place adjacent to the margin of a piece of material, and means whereby said guiding means may be ad'usted to vary the spacing of said element rom said margin. 7

These and other features of the invention includin certain details of construction and com inations of parts will be described in connection with certain illustrative machines and pointed out in the appended claims.

Referring now to the accompanying drawings,

Figure 1 is a perspective of a combined folding and tape applying niachine in which the present invention is embodied;

Fig. 2 is a perspective of a button fly with a piece of tape in place;

Fig. 3 is a perspectiveshowing the rear and under side of the member which serves both to determine the line of fold and to guide the tape into place;

Fig. 4 is a perspective of a modified machine.

Referring first toFigs. 1 and 2, the mechanism for foldin the margin of the button fly is substantia ly identical with that of the folding machine of the application of Glass, Serial No. 790,892, new Patent No.

1,281,555. Taking this up briefly, the material is fed over the bed or support 1 with the margin which is to be folded over extending upwardly upon the suitably. curved face of a block 3 and lying between said block anda gage 5 having a portion which extends outwardly over the block 3, said Patented Apr. 27, 1920.

Application filed November 2, 1914. Serial No. 869,850.-

extending portion being curved on its under side so as to guide the margin of the mai terial against the curved face of the block. It will be noted, too, that this gage limits the upward extent of the turned-up margin and thereby the width of the fold which is to be made. In the machine of the patent thematerial next passes a knife which may be caused to slit the margin if so desired. The knife, however, has not been shown since, with the tape applying mechanism presently to be described, it is held in its inoperative position. After passing be tween the block 3 and the gage 5 the margin passes over a folding finger which thereupon rises from beneath the bed 1 and bends said margin about the edge of the creaser 9; said folder acting to bend said margin something more than 90 so that when the material has been fed forward. another step the mar in will be pressed down upon the body the material by the hammer or presser 11. Thispresser holds the folded margin against an anvil 13 for an interval, and during this interval thee hammer and anvil are given a movement to the left, thus feeding the material one step. The hammer then rises, and both hammer and anvil return to the position shown. YVith this mechanisni the material is fed progressively and intermittently, and the margin is similarly folded. Thegage has a finger piece 15 by pressure upon which it may be raised, its normal position being maintained by a spring 17. The creaser 9 may be raised by a finger piece (not shown) against the force of a spring-pin 19. The creaser is also held in its angular position by resilient means (not shown) so that it may swing .toward and from the line of fold to accommodate thick portions of the material. 1

The mechanism which has been briefly indicated above will not be further described since the details of its construction have been set forth and claimed in said patent.

Referring now to Fig. 2, a button fly blank is indicated at 100 and a piece of tape pressed intoplace at 200. This tape is sup-.

plied to the trade in rolls, being coveredpp one side with a coating of adhesive K131391718. It is, therefore, necessary merely to guide the tape into place and then to press it down 7 so that it will adhere to the leather or other material of which the button fiy is made.

In the illustrative machine the creaser' 9 is so formed as to serve the added purpose of guiding the tape into place on the-button. fly. Referring now to Fig. 3, this creaser comprises a vertical stem 109 and a some what U-shaped portion the legs of which are substantially horizontal, thelower leg being offset from a vertical plane which coincides with the rear face (theface presented in Fig. 3) of the upper leg. On the under side of the lower leg is formed a groove 21; and from that. side of tho leg which faces the oncoming work extend two guiding fingers 23 whose inner faces register respectively with the sides of the groove. The inner side--25 of the groove 21. is spaced from the operative end 209 of .the creaser a distance equal to or greater thanthe. width of the-folded marginof the-material. so that The.- tape. is sup ,lied from a reel, not shown, from which-1t passes through. a. slot or equivalent opening inamember. 2.7 herein shown as a strip of. metal benttwice; at, right angles and; adjnstably fastened to a stationary part of the machine. by'a screw 29. which passes through a slot 31.' The groove in the bottom of the combined fold-creaser and tape-guide 9 is somewhat wider than the tape so that by adjusting the member 27 the tape may be caused to run in contact with either the side 25 of the groove 21 or the opposite side as may be desired, the effect being to lay the tape directly alongside the folded margin, as shown in Fig. 2, or spaced from it.

As has been stated, the hammeror presser 11 and anvil 13 grip the material and feed it along. In order that the feeding of the material may start before the forward edge of said material has reached the hammer or presser, there is provided a resilient feed member 33 which is carried by the hammer and is located so as to hold the tape and the button fly against the anvil 13, said'feed ,member being arranged to be brought down upon the tape close to the rear edge of the lower leg of the U-shaped creaser and guide 9. This auxiliary feed member 33 is shown and described more in detail in thepatent which has been referred to above. s ..In the o eration of the machine the end of a button. y with the end'of the tape in proper position thereon is inserted in the machine, the end of the button fly and of the tape extending slightly beyond the rear edge ofnthe lower leg of the cold-creaser and tape-guide 9. -Power is then applied to the machine whereupon the margin of the leather is folded,.the tape laid along said margin, and both the fold and the tape pressed by the hammer 1'1, it-being understood that when the hammer isrocked forwardly and downwardly it presses against the anvil 13 .both. the margin of .thebutton fly and the. tape the operative face of the hammer overhanging the folded margin and extending across on on to the tape.

After the tape has been lald along that margin of the. buttonfly in which the button I holes are subsequently tobe formed it is .cut off. The folding alone is. then continued.

Referring now to Fig. 4 the invention is illustrated as embodied in a foldin .machine of the type shown in United patent to Drake and Folsom No. 727,313. The table or bed for supporting the stock is indicated at 2, the stock being fed along by two jaws and 6 whichare oscillated in unison about pivots (not. shown) located r.e'- specti-vely above and. below theitable2. The turning over of the margin is accomplished by feedi the mar in est a stationai y folder of d ern. 8; wit w ich the. edge. of

' thestock. contacts. the marginhas' tates ever, that the stock is fed intermittently by the oscillating feed jaws 4 and 6' and that the margin is progressively folded over and pressed down.

In order to feed a piece of t%pe and lay it in the position indicated in ig. 2 simultaneously with the folding operation 51 rod 12 is fastened to the head 14 of the machine and has at its lower end a portion bent at right angles and formed with a-slot 16 to serve as a guide to direct the tape 200 into proper position. In Order to feed thetape with the stock to the jaws operating extensions 104 and 106 to grip said tape with the stock and carry it along. A supplementary guide 18 similar to the guide 27 shown in 1 is attached to the head 14 and receives the tape from the reel (not shown).

In the operation of-this machine the forward end of a button fly with the end of the tape laid upon it is placed between the'open jaws 4 and 6 and their extensions 104 and 106, and power is applied to the machine. The jaws 4 and 6 feed the button fly and tape along the margin of said button fly being turned over by the horn or folder 8, after which the presser 10 descends and presses the fold and the tape simultaneously. A portion of a button fly 100 with the margin folded and pressed, and a portion of the tape 200 also pressed into place are shown in Fig. 4.

Although the invention has been set forth in connection with certain folding machines it should be understood that the invention is not limited in the scope of its application to the particular machines shown and described.

Having thus described my invention what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

l. A machine of the class describedhaving, in combination, a support for a piece of pliable material, mechanism for feeding said material over said support and for folding and pressing the margin, and 'a stationary member for guiding a piece of tape into position inside of and adjacent to but without the plies of said folded margin whereby the tape is pressed simultaneously with the pressing of the margin.

2. A machine of the class described having, in combination, mechanism for folding the margin of a piece of pliable material, means for applying to said material along said folded margin a piece of tape and means whereby said applying means may be adjusted to vary the distance of said tape from said margin while maintaining the width of the fold unchanged.

3. A machine of the class described having, in combination, a support for a piece of pliable material, mechanism for feeding said material over said support and for 4 and 6 have 00- sition, overhangs the fold, and a stationary member for guiding a piece of tape alongside the margin to. be folded but in such manner as to lie without the plies of the fold mto position beneath the overhanging por-.

tion of the presser. 1

4. A machine of the class described'having, in combination, mechanism for progressively folding the margin of a piece of pliable material, said mechanism including a creaser for determining the line of fold and a presser for pressingthe fold, and means associated with said creaser for guiding a folded margin, said presser being adapted to engage said tape and press it into place.

machine of the class described having, in combination, mechanism for progressively folding .the margin of a piece of pliable material, said mechanism including a creaser for determining the line of fold and a presser for pressing the fold, said creaser being formed with a guideway to receive a piece of tape, and means for feeding said tape with said material.

6. A machine of the class described having, in combination, mechanism for progressively folding the margin of a piece of pliable material, said mechanism including a creaser for determining the line of fold and a presser for pressing the fold, said-creaser being formed with a guideway to receive apiece of tape, said guideway being of greater width than said tape, means for feeding said tape with said material, and means for delivering said tape to said guideway in different relations thereto so as to va the distance from the margin at which the tape is applied to the material.

7. A machine of the class described having, in combination, a support for a piece of material having a folded margin, means for feeding said piece together with a piece of tape over said support, a stationary member for guiding said tape alongside but without the plies of said folded margin, and means for pressing said tape against said material.

8. A machine of the class described, hav- 1 ing in combination, a support for a piece of pliable material, mechanism for feeding said material over said support and for folding and pressing the margin, and a stationary member for guiding a reinforcing element into position inside of and adjacent to but without the plies of said folded margin whereby the element is pressed simultaneously with the pressing of the margin.

9. A machine of the class described, havpiece of tape into position beside said ing in combination, mechanism for folding the margin of a piece of pliable material, means for directing upon said material alolig said folded margin a reinforcing ele- 7 maintaining the width of the fold unchanged.

In testimony whereof-I ha e signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses. 1

WI LIAM- P, GLIFFORTD'T' Witnesses: i I

M. L. KINNE, J; R. PARRY. 

